Branstad made the announcement in a news release Friday. He did not include additional information about his decision.

The eight applications include women serving time for convictions of first-degree murder, attempted murder and kidnapping. Their age range is from 28 to 70. At least one inmate was younger than 18 when she committed a crime.

Their sentences also vary. One inmate is serving a life sentence, while another is serving 25 years. At least one is serving a 100-year sentence. Many of the sentences carry mandatory time served before they can be considered for release. It’s unclear if these inmates had reached that time.